So, what's your Parker Preference?

[Kelly G]

It is a tough question for me. I have carried daily a nice "51" (Aerometric Forest Green standard w/ gf cap Medium nib) for at least six months maybe longer. It is ultimately reliable and that's why I carry it along with another pen or two. The "51" just doesn't fail to write, first time, every time.

I'm also a big fan of vintage Duofolds, flat tops, streamlined, or striped, they are all great pens. Vacumatics too - great pens and fun to restore (usually).

The 45's, 61's,& 75's all have their place and I have a few.

Let's just say, I like vintage Parker pens.

[dannzeman]

The Vacumatic is by far my most favorite Parker. I so really like the 51 but it's a distant second. I carry a five pen wrap ever day and two spots are always filled with the same two vacs. Always.
I also really enjoy restoring vac fillers too and I love polishing 51s because I can get a wet-like shine on them.
I've never really cared for Duofolds though. The design just never did anything for me.


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[Okami]

Has to be the 51 for me


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[eriquito]

I'd love to be part of the "in" crowd and claim to love the Parker 51. Unfortunately, I don't. Not for lack of effort. I've owned many. In fact, a 51 was the very first fountain pen I ever purchased for myself.

There's no denying that they are reliable. But I just can't seem to shake the notion that I want to see the nib of the fountain pen I'm using. The whole nib. The shape of the nib. The imprint, the breather hole, everything.

The sad reality is that I have yet to find a Parker that I absolutely love. However, there is hope! I'll be cruising the tables at the Chicago Pen Show in the company of dannzeman himself. Perhaps some of his Parker Enthusiasm will rub off.

=) Eric
Son of Ragnar

[dannzeman]

The sad reality is that I have yet to find a Parker that I absolutely love. However, there is hope! I'll be cruising the tables at the Chicago Pen Show in the company of dannzeman himself. Perhaps some of his Parker Enthusiasm will rub off.



=) Eric

Son of Ragnar

If it hasn't rubbed off yet I don't think it will. Maybe it's one of those things where it has to be in person to happen.

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[eriquito]

Or perhaps my Danitrio Enthusiasm will rub off on you =)

Eric
Son of Ragnar

[dannzeman]

Or perhaps my Danitrio Enthusiasm will rub off on you =)

Eric
Son of Ragnar

I highly doubt it. I don't have the bank account for that!


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[Kelly G]

I highly doubt it. I don't have the bank account for that!

All you have to do is save your spare change - or try Kevin's Lay-A-Way plan - worked for me.

[dannzeman]

All you have to do is save your spare change - or try Kevin's Lay-A-Way plan - worked for me.

Oh man, if I start putting pens on lay-a-way then I'm done for. I didn't even put my wife's engagement ring on lay-a-way.

[eriquito]

I didn't even put my wife's engagement ring on lay-a-way.

Are you saying that your wife's engagement ring is more important that fountain pens?

...and I thought you were a fountain pen geek.

Eric
Son of Ragnar

PS Don't you dare tell Kisha about this post! =)

[Ernst Bitterman]

That sounds more like a lay-awake plan to me.

Returning to the matter at hand; I'm in the Vacumatic camp. Visually striking, visible ink level, there's very little to not like about them if you're not driven to tap out the point and feed. Putting those back is a nightmare. Duofolds (of any non-modern sort) and "51"s share second place.

[ldb2000]

Ok , don't beat me up for choosing a modern pen but my Falcon Flighter is my all time favorite Fountain pen . I'm not sure if I'm just lucky or what but I own two Falcons , a Black one and a Flighter and they both write wonderfully but the flighter is a little smoother and overall the smoothest fountain pen I have ever written with . I've always loved the 51's but they have taken the back seat to my Falcon .

[dannzeman]

Ok , don't beat me up for choosing a modern pen but my Falcon Flighter is my all time favorite Fountain pen . I'm not sure if I'm just lucky or what but I own two Falcons , a Black one and a Flighter and they both write wonderfully but the flighter is a little smoother and overall the smoothest fountain pen I have ever written with . I've always loved the 51's but they have taken the back seat to my Falcon .

Don't worry, we're not going to beat you up for choosing a modern pen. If modern is your thing then there's nothing wrong with that.


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[Robert46]

Rediscovered fountain pens again and have a few now, but the Parker 45 flighter is my favorite now, I've had it a few weeks and love using it at my job. It has an extra-fine point.

[James]

Maybe it's just because I've never actually used a 51 (though not for lack of want), but my favorite Parker is the 45. I love the slim shape, the simple design and the ease with which I can flush it out. Can you unscrew the nib of a 51 to flush out the sac (really, can you)? Oh, and of course, I love the reliability and smooth writing experience delivered by the 45. So sexy.

[dannzeman]

First off, welcome to FPGeeks James!

...Can you unscrew the nib of a 51 to flush out the sac (really, can you)?...

You can unscrew the hood (on most pens that don't have it shellacked on) and remove the nib and collector to flush out the inside of the barrel, but there's really no point. Also, there's not a sac in the 51, at least not in the conventional sense. The 'sac' is used as a diaphragm to creat a vacuum instead of actually holding ink.

Short answer: No, you can't unscrew the nib of a 51 to flush out the sac.

[Kelly G]

True there is not a conventional sac in the vacumatic filling "51's" But there is a sac, a plyglass sac, in the Aerometric converter. And you don't want to remove the hood from the "51" unless there is a specific need to do so. The hood should be sealed on with shellac to keep it air tight and to keep the hood in alignment with the nib.

The 45 is definitely easier to clean. I tend to rarely change the ink color in my "51's" and that makes life simpler.

[Rabbit]

If I had been answering this about 4 years ago, I would have said the Parker Sonnet. I was just getting in to fountain pens and didn't really know much about vintage pens. I had access to a retail store that sold modern fountain pens and I fell in love with the Parker Sonnet. I couldn't afford one at the time and ended up buying one on eBay for real cheap. Very soon after that I found some articles that described fake Parker Sonnets, and sure enough, the one I bought was fake. I then decided to save up some money so I could buy a real one.

About a year later I began to learn more about vintage pens and I bought a Parker Vacumatic and an aerometric Parker 51. These easily took over as my favorite Parker pens, with perhaps the Vacumatic being slightly above the 51. I love the shape of the 51 and the reliability. The aerometric filling system is very easy to use. I think the Vacumatic is beautiful-- my first was green Major, and I found it fascinating that you could hold it up to a light and see through parts of it. The uncovered nib has a classic look, and the filling system is unique. The only things I don't like about the 51 and Vacumatic are that they require a bit more skill for restoration, but I'm just now getting to the stage where I want to start restoring them, so I look forward to that and it will enable me to get these pens more often regardless of condition.

--Stephen

[Kelly G]

Ahhh Rabbit, restoring the Vacumatics is a lot of fun, sometimes in a frustrating way, but fun nonetheless. The big trick is to start with the proper tools.
A vac wrench of some sort makes life much easier and less likely to destroy pens in the process.
A good bore light helps you see what is going on in the barrel.
Some decent scraping tools helps in removing the recalcitrant old diaphragm remnants.

Once you do a few, they aren't intimidating to a high degree. That doesn't mean you don't run into some real problem pens, but most of them restore gracefully.
What I love about Vacumatics is the celluloid restores so beautifully - you can really get a nice shine on an old pen.

Good luck and don't hesitate to ask questions.

[SProctor]

Re: So, what's your Parker Preference?

Personally I'm leaning towards a Parker 75, with a Parker 65 being a close second, I guess. Which is kind of weird since I usually prefer a bigger pen, like the Duofold. Maybe I just don't have the right Duofold yet...